Signal at Woodway, Post Oak to regulate traffic flow

It's an uptown light

Published 5:30 am, Thursday, October 9, 2003

Traffic congestion along the intersection of Woodway and Post Oak Lane received a helping hand last week with the installation of a new traffic signal.

The project, which is another in a series of mobility improvements made by the Uptown Houston District, was designed to improve safety as well as increase traffic flow through the area.

"Any of us who travel along the West Loop, as well as residents of the area have been caught up in traffic," said John Breeding, Uptown District president. "The people in the community asked for this, so we did an analysis to see if it was warranted and it was. The dedication of the light marks the completion of an effort by a lot of groups, including the state, the city and the Uptown District."

Breeding said state involvement with the project was necessitated by the close proximity of the West Loop service road.

"This is a city road," he said, "but the control box for the light had to be synchronized with the service road traffic. Plus we had to make sure our construction did not interfere with construction the Texas Department of Transportation is doing to the loop."

The light provides a left turn lane, which did not exist prior to the installation of the signal.

"The Houstonian is right there as is an elementary school," Breeding said. "This gives drivers a way to turn left, so this is as much a safety issue as it is improving the flow of traffic."

The light gives residents in the area a way to easily access Post Oak, even at heavy traffic times.

Last year the District inaugurated a Galleria-area trolley along Post Oak to help ease congestion.

The district also spearheaded the expansion and improvements to Sage, San Felipe and Westheimer over the past two years.

"We don't have any immediate plans to do anything else around that intersection," Breeding said, "but we do have a number of projects, such as signals and street improvements, in the planning stages.

"We are hoping to sell some bonds early this fall to secure the needed funding. If we do get more money, then we will probably do more starting in the first quarter of 2004."

Breeding said immediate plans tentatively include improvements to McCue and West Alabama, but the extent of those projects will depend on funding.

The project is part of the $235 million "Uptown Local Street Improvement Program" created in by the Uptown board in 1999. The program's goal is to implement transportation projects that improve traffic flow in the Uptown/Galleria area.

According to Uptown Houston, the mobility plan is projected to lead to more than $1.1 billion in new development and more than $500 million in new tax revenues for the City of Houston and METRO.

Breeding suggested that anyone wanting more information on the district's various construction projects, could consult the organizations Web site: http://www.uptown-houston.com.

Created in 1987, The Uptown Houston District occupies 500 acres in the heart of the Uptown Houston/Galleria area and provides a variety of services and improvements for the area.

Those services and improvements include traffic operations, public maintenance and beautification, infrastructure improvements, economic development and marketing.